Not even in his wildest dreams would Mr. Honda have envisioned 500 million motorcycles being produced when the Dream D-Type — the first major motorcycle model for Honda — rolled off the line in 1949. However he did believe in dreaming big. “We only have one future, and it will be made of our dreams, if we have the courage to challenge convention.” –Soichiro Honda
“For Honda, the motorcycle business is our founder’s business, and will continue to be the company’s core business,” said Toshihiro Mibe, Honda Motor Co., Ltd.’s President, CEO and Representative Director. “In the motorcycle business, we have built the trust of our customers through our many products and services, which has enabled us to achieve a cumulative production volume of 500 million units. I would like to thank our customers and all stakeholders who were involved in achieving this milestone, from development to production, sales and service. Honda will continue to take on the challenge of expanding the joy of our customers around the world.”
Since its foundation in 1948, Honda has developed and offered products and services that meet the needs of customers in many countries and regions, based on its belief that the purpose of technology is to make people’s lives easier. American Honda Motor Co., Inc., was Honda’s first overseas subsidiary. The wholly owned sales division of the parent company, Honda Motor Co., Ltd., was founded on June 11, 1959.
Honda began North American production of motorcycles in 1979, at the Honda of America Mfg., Inc. plant in Marysville, Ohio, where 64 associates began producing the CR250R dirt bike. That first motorcycle rolled off the production line on September 10, 1979. By April 1980, the GL1100 Gold Wing was being assembled by associates at the Ohio plant. In total, Honda has produced 30 motorcycle models in the U.S. and just over 1 million units, including cruisers, standard bikes and touring bikes. Two of the most heavily produced models were the Shadow and Gold Wing platforms. Currently, Honda’s side-by-side and ATV production takes place at plants in South Carolina and North Carolina, respectively (using domestically and globally sourced parts).
As a result of this sustained expansion, Honda achieved its 100 million-unit milestone in 1997, its 200 million-unit milestone in 2008, and its 300 million-unit milestone in 2014. In 2018, Honda’s annual production exceeded 20 million units for the first time in its history, and cumulative global production reached 400 million units in 2019. Although the annual production of motorcycles temporarily declined due to COVID-19 in 2020, demand has steadily recovered worldwide to pre-pandemic levels since then.
Honda’s cumulative global production of engine/motor-powered motorcycles reached 500 million units 76 years after the company began mass production of the Dream in 1949. “I wanted to be Number 1 in the world, not just Japan,” said Mr. Honda. Mission accomplished!
